Jimmy Connors reveals why he and Chris Evert didn't marry

American tennis legend Jimmy Connors has revealed that he had got then-fiancee Chris Evert pregnant, but she had made the decision to abort the child, according to his new book.

Written by NDTVSports

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In his new memoir, Connors strongly suggests that his fiancee, who was just 19 then, has an abortion shortly before they were set to tie the knot in 1974, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

"An issue had arisen as a result of youthful passion and a decision had to be made as a couple," Connors writes in "The Outsider."

Connors said he wanted to "let nature take its course" and accept responsibility "for what was to come." But Evert, who was raised in a staunch Catholic home, took a different step.

One of the most dashing left-handed players of his time, Connors, who had been staying in a Los Angeles apartment with his then doubles partner Ilie Nastase, said he was annoyed when Evert called to say she had decided the matter for both of them.

Connors and Evert won tournament after tournament while their romance had played out in public, capturing the country's imagination.

Evert, 58, a former women's World No.1, won 18 Grand Slam singles championships and three doubles titles. Connors, 60, won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles with Nastase.